“When its Christmas time in Zimbabwe you have to feel good”. This is a television jingle, normally broadcast during the festive season. And somehow, my feelings tell me that this time around, this statement will make a little bit more sense.

“2009 Christmas is set to be different from other recent ones when the economy experienced a drastic meltdown. We spent most of our time in banks, supermarkets and petrol queues and never enjoyed anything. This year, shops are fully stocked; no more worthless Zimdollar piles, and with the advent of the strong currencies, shopping is becoming a real pleasure. A variety of imported cars and plenty of fuel seem to be slowly easing our transport blues.” recounts Tambu, an informal trader.

However, reality also still stares right back at you. Roads have not fully recovered after the crisis. With developed well-sized pot holes, it has become a challenge to drive on them. And due to shortages of spare parts, many buses have been turned into chicken-laying shells.

Well-deserved break

In a week’s time, factories and offices will also be closing in order to give workers a well-deserved annual break. City and town centers across the country are witnessing a shopping spree mostly from civil servants who were awarded an annual bonus for the first time in many years.
   
It’s also been a week since schools have closed for holidays. So, Nqobani and Thabo are off to the rural areas next weekend to spend Christmas with their grandparents. And so will Farai and Rudo, but they will be heading for the bright lights, jingle bells and carols in the capital city, to be with their uncle Lemuel during the long holidays.

A time to share

In their trendy city attire, Nqobani and Thabo are going to be the centre of attraction in their rural area on Christmas day. They will kickstart the day with a breakfast comprising of a dishful of bread with lots of jam, a bucketful of tea, an elaborate lunch with an assortment of meats, sharing the table with many uninvited guests from their grannies’ neighborhood. That’s the spirit of Christmas - a time of merriment, giving and sharing with others. Later in the afternoon they will attend one or two of the many weddings taking place in the village. The latest local and regional music will be sampled while happy people dancing the nights away.

In Harare, Farai and Rudo are ecstatic about their Christmas day itinerary: “Wearing our recently bought  clothes we shall join uncle Lemuel and family for a church service, then come back home for a breakfast comprising of a variety of cakes, meats, tea, coffee and soft drinks. In the afternoon, after some lunch with rice, turkey and beef stew, we shall visit the nearby children’s recreational park where we will enjoy train rides, boat-rowing and springing on trampolines. To crown it all, we shall also enjoy watching lots of videos and DVDs in the evening”

Alcohol abuse
Meanwhile, being off duty, the workers in the rural areas will be drowning themselves in a variety of Zimbabwean and imported canned beers available at growth points. The media will have numerous warnings against alcohol abuse during these festive times. What will probably not change: newspapers and news bulletin will still be filled with reports of tragic road accidents and cases of drowning, just like in previous years. But what will probably change this year is that Zimbabweans will be getting closer to "feeling good" again about Christmas. 

Listen below to Sakhile Masuku, a Zimbabwean student studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, commenting on the Christmas mood in the capital city Harare, where she would be spending her holidays:

Photo: Chris_J (Flickr CC)